(Those of you who follow my articles on Woes.co.za and do not have the privilege to see my English articles in print and may not know that the Afrikaans series “Uit die Natuur” has an English equivalent. The articles are rarely translated from one language to the other as I find that the articles lose their “feel”. If you want to follow the whole series you will therefore have to read the Afrikaans articles at woes and the English articles here as the difffer.)
Welcome to my fire and as the hardwood stumps crackle let's chat about squirrels or rather studying them. You may be aware that there are several articles written on squirrels already. You may not be aware that according to the Smithsonian Institute the worldwide count of squirrel species are 260, give or take a few. This includes all flying squirrels, ground squirrels and tree squirrels. This count refers back to 1993 and the exact number will slightly exceed 260 as I write. I will not give a rundown on the Southern African species again. We only have a few species and only one is widely known. Our ground squirrel, also incorrectly called the Waaierstertmeerkat is one one of the most successful squirrels if not the most successful squirrel species in the world. Stay with me as this gets interesting later. While it may seem like a waste of time and money most, if not all, research in the natural sciences are crucial.
So research is our focus this time. In 2001 the USA government issued a grant of $600 000.00 to study the sex life of the South African Ground Squirrel over a few years. This National Science Foundation grant was made to a University of Central Florida biologist and researcher, Jane Waterman. In 2002 some USA interest groups were up in arms about this and similar research of hundreds of millions of dollars every year - they said did no good and showed no benefit to the animals studied or to man. At the same time they attacked several other projects such as the grant to The University of California to study how the ground squirrels in that country, instinctively know when to jump when a Rattle Snake makes its strike. It has been suggested that these squirrels read the snake's movements and react simultaneously with a strike and not in reaction to it.
Now before you say “maybe they have a point about all this bogus research”, Just a few points.
First point. If we had done more “bogus” research we would have read the signs in nature and climate change would not have caught us with our pants down. Animal behaviour and changes over time tell us a lot about subtle changes in the environment. For this we need to know what to look out for and we need to know what is normal. Then we will clearly “read” nature and know when things are starting to go wrong. Therefore lots and lots of research is required – so called bogus research by some interest groups.
Second point. A lot of research means that the more we know of the different species and how our sensitive ecosystems interact, the greater the number of species will be that are saved from extinction. I am not one of those “greenies” who put animals on an equal footing with man. However how long do we need to live? Most people live way beyond their natural lifespan due to advances in medical science. One of the arguments against animal research is that a cure must be sought for one of the aging diseases. What are we looking for? A cure for death? As a Christian I am comfortable that Jesus has already sorted out that problem. We are not talking about making animals live longer than God intended. We are responsible to God to make sure they survive as species and that we are treating the planet we were gifted with, with respect. This is our home. Where else will we realistically go? The research allows us to share the planet with them and properly manage the greater ecosystems as God expects from us.
Third point. Some species are actually crucial to the survival of the planet. We know of bacteria that will break down oil spills. What about sea species that need to be harvested in a sustained manner and marine ecosystems that must be kept in balance to ensure that we can all have enough to eat? What about the pathetically small amounts spent on plant research when plants and bacteria are the main solutions to purifying the waste water we generate? These are just some examples and I believe it proves the point. We need to know so much more to help nature to help us.
Fourth point. We need to realize that a lot of new diseases are warning us of possible future disaster. If we cannot maintain the balance in nature that is required – nature might just sort us out. What ? you say. If new viruses and vicious bacterial diseases are not warning us that the more we mess with nature - without sufficient research and knowledge - the greater the chances of a real super bug causing havoc. Something that may even make HIV-Aids look like a common cold. We need incredible amounts of money to be thrown at research. A lot of animal research have already had positive results in improving human life – sometimes by accident – but that is the nature of research.
Fifth point. It may seem ridiculous to research the sex life of squirrels or how they are able to irritate a snake without being struck. The truth is that all behaviour of all living species play a role in the greater balance in nature. For example, our local ground squirrels play similar games with local snakes than their American cousins being studied. Remember that we said there are more that 260 squirrel species. A lot of the research in specific species will help to study other related species.
Lastly I do want to criticize. If we look at the amount of $600 000.00 to study our ground squirrels I regard it as was a waste of money. We should be better managers of the available funds for research to ensure that we can ask for even more. Convert this amount to Rands and it must be clear that the same research could have been done for a lot less money with the same outcome.
I wish we would lobby the governments and businesses of the world for more money to research not only squirrels but all species and ecosystems. We must make sure these funds are wisely used. I hope you feel more inclined to support research that at first glance seem a waste of time and money.
I truly hope you enjoyed our fireside chat and will join me soon for another Talk on Nature. Please e-mail your questions and suggested future topics.
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